Program Information

What We Do

The Clinch Academy has been established since 2003 but has been serving the Frederick community for long over 15 years. Prior to becoming the Clinch Academy we were known as Self-Defense Tactics, Inc.. We have been providing self-defense, martial arts as well as health & fitness to Men, Women & Children for over 20 years!

Our Mission

To provide a Academy of learning and training in Martial Arts, Self-defense, Health, Fitness & personal growth for the community. Our modo is, "Battle Tested. Family Approved." We want the community to be able to learning the most proven, effective self-defense & martial arts techniques on the planet in the most family approved training environment possible!

I entered the Clinch Academy a few years ago under the advice of a family friend and I was instantly impressed with the level of skill and instruction The Clinch Academy had to offer. Luke offers not just world class instruction but a world class attitude as well. Everybody is constantly learning at the Clinch while helping each other improve as true martial artists. When it comes to The Clinch Academy there are no strings attached and it is easy to acclimate yourself to any class in any discipline regardless of your skill level. Whether you’re looking to compete in MMA, become a competitive grappler or merely get in shape the Clinch Academy has what you need. So do yourself a favor and join the family! 

What is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

Mon & Wed from 6:45-7:45pm

Tues & Thurs from 6:30am-7:30am & 12:30pm-1:30pm

Saturday from 10:30-11:30 / Blue and Up ONLY!

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the cornerstone of Mixed Martial Arts. Back in 1992 when the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) first began and had No Rules, No Time Limits and No weight classes, Royce Gracie shocked the world when he took on guys almost twice his size and was able to submit them time and time again practically without getting a scratch on him! Why was Royce able to do this? The answer is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu!

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teaches you how to overcome opponents much bigger than you using technique and leverage and not size and strength. Don't get me wrong, size and strength helps when it comes to competition where everyone knows brazilian jiu-jitsu but when it comes down to Martial Art vs. Martial Art or self-defense, Brazlian Jiu-Jitsu has proven itself for over 20 years in the US and over 90 years in Brazil to be the most efficient and dominant Martial Art out there. That is why the Police Academies, Military and Special Forces all train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu!

Not only is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) a great Self-Defense art but it is also one of the fastest growing sports in the world right now. BJJ competition is continuously growing and evolving. The sport has gained so much interest and people are competing all over the world! BJJ is also an incredible way to get and stay in shape. It has to be one of the most disguised ways to get in shape. You have so much fun while doing it you don't realize until the class is over that you just had an incredible workout. You are constantly working your whole body every time you practice. You will literally find muscles you never knew you had!

What is Mixed Martial Arts?

Tuesdays & Thursdays from 6:45-8pm

Mixed Martial Arts or MMA started out in America as a no rules or time limits contest called the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC that pitted various martial arts styles against one another to prove which were the best in hand to hand combat. Back then the term for this type of fighting was No Holds Barred or NHB. In this type of fighting environment, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu proved time and time again to easily overcome and defeat the other Martial Arts. The Brazilians were very familiar with this type of fighting as they held these type of events in Brazil for about 70 years before bringing it to the USA. Royce Gracie was the first to represent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the United States and this new art left American fighters puzzled. Royce was able to defeat guys almost twice his size by taking them down to the ground and using his grappling techniques to eliminate his opponents strikes and then submit them with a choke or joint lock.

World class Olympic wrestlers also began to study these martial arts and enter the U.F.C. events. They saw that the grappling of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was so effective and thought that they also could use their wrestling to win. Wrestlers didn't have very strong submission skills but began to use what we call ground n' pound to win their matches. Wrestlers would take you down and get you in positions where they could hit you until you gave up or got knocked out.

In time, other martial artists began studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Wrestling to add to their striking arts. This allowed for them to defend take downs better and utilize their striking skills again. Eventually, both good Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu artist and a good Wrestler were each knocked out by head kicks and the strikers began to realize that if they learned enough BJJ and wrestling to defend the take downs and submissions, they could start implementing their strikes again. Muay Thai Kickboxing proved to be one of the most effective stand-up arts partially because of it's familiarity with the clinch which is also used in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Wrestling. Muay Thai also had an effective use of knees and elbows which are used in close range.

So Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling and Kickboxing proved to be the cream of the crop when it came to hand to hand combat. People began to mix these 3 martial arts and train in them to become Mixed Martial Artists. This is where the term mixed martial arts comes from. It is a mix of the best martial arts all in one. After the NHB scene went through some hard times with the boxing commission, more and more rules and regulations were added for fighter safety. Now MMA is a safely regulated mainstream sanctioned sport which is growing faster than any sport in the world. It is a great art to learn for fitness, self-defense or of course professional fighting if you desire.

What Kind of Self-Defense Classes Do You Offer?

Monday Through Thursday from 6:45-8pm

Practical Fight Combatives is a course DESIGNED with the BEGINNER in mind that uses all the greatest and MOST EFFECTIVE techniques from both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts to provide you with a super WELL-ROUNDED foundation for self-defense!

In this course you are going to learn how to:

Properly use self-defense wisdom, concepts and strategies!

Stand & Strike Effectively!

Defend against the most common strike attacks!

Defend against the most common grabs and holds!

Defend against take downs!

Effectively learn to clinch and take anyone down!

Defend against and escape from the most common ground positions and attacks!

Effectively learn to use your whole body to attack and submit anyone!

How control and dominate an opponent in any grappling situation!

REAL SELF-DEFENSE like anything else takes time, consistent practice and dedication. Practical Fight Combatives provides you with the all the tools you will need to learn to effectively defend yourself and the curriculum to help guarantee you are covering all the grounds necessary!

NOT ONLY is our Practical Fight Combatives training course an EXTREMELY effective for self-defense but it is ALSO the foundation course for both our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and or our Mixed Martial Arts programs!

We feel the techniques in this program are the techniques that EVERYONE should be learning RIGHT AWAY! When it comes down to it, whether you want to train for Self-Defense, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or Mixed Martial Arts, there is only a certain percentage of the techniques for any of those arts that are TRULY EFFECTIVE and most COMMONLY USED. We call these the HIGH PERCENTAGE techniques. Practical Fight Combatives is made up of these HIGH PERCENTAGE techniques that have PROVEN MOST EFFECTIVE for Self-Defense, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts! That's right. All the most effective techniques have been grouped together in THIS ONE SYSTEM to help ensure that you are getting the BEST TECHNIQUES whether you want to learn self-defense, become a BJJ competitor or a Mixed Martial Arts fighter one day!

What Kind of Fitness Classes do you offer?

Our Fitness Only classesare High Intensity Interval Training or H.I.I.T.. These classes teach you all you need in order to live a healthy and fit lifestyle. They also help you push your self and work hard in order to reach your goals and push your limits! We offer both co-ed Fitness & women ONLY fitness classes. Click the links below for more information.

What kind of Youth Programs do you offer?

We teach both youth Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Programs & Youth Mixed Martial Arts Programs. Both of these programs are taught in the Gi and have a focus on Self-Defense as well. Our Youth MMA Program is much more limited than our Adult MMA program in order to maintain proper safety with the youth. We also have a Lil' Warriors Program for ages 4-5 that focuses on very basic grappling techniques, coordination & good conduct.